The present invention relates to an absorbent article in the form of a sanitary napkin or in the form of a female incontinence guard for light incontinence, comprising an absorbent body which is enclosed between an inner and an outer casing sheet, which article has a front part, a rear part and an intermediate part.
Sanitary napkins and like products shall have in use a three-dimensional shape that is adapted to the shape of the wearer""s body. However, such articles are normally produced and packaged in a flat state. It is known to provide sanitary napkins and like articles with elastic devices that give the napkins a three-dimensional shape when the napkins are removed from their respective packets. The application of elastic devices complicates the process of manufacture and may cause the napkin to be deformed permanently in its packet, and are also liable to cause chafing of the wearer""s skin. There is thus a need for sanitary napkins that include means other than elastic devices for imparting a three-dimensional shape to the napkin.
The absorbent body of a sanitary napkin or like article is also very liable to be deformed in an uncontrolled manner as the wearer moves. Because the absorbent body is compressed by the wearer""s thighs, the absorbent body is liable to be pleated or broken and/or pleats or folds are liable to form in the inner casing sheet. Such weakenings and pleats considerably increase the risk of leakage.
Another problem associated with the deformation and compression of the absorbent body is that the sanitary napkin can be felt to be lumpy and uncomfortable in wear, and the edges of the sanitary napkin or sharp folds formed by said deformation are liable to chafe the wearer""s skin.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,597, an absorbent product having a reinforcing member is disclosed. The reinforcing member is resiliently compressible and returns the absorbent product to its original shape after lateral compression of the product during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,150 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,959 disclose absorbent articles having components which respond to laterally compressive forces by compressing in a transverse direction in order to form a longitudinally extending bulge or ridge on the body-contacting surface of the articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,838 teaches a sanitary napkin of the aforedescribed kind which is brought to a three-dimensional shape in use without the aid of elastic devices. According to this prior publication, those parts of the casing sheets that lie outside the edges of the absorbent body provide effective lateral tightness of the napkin, at the same time as said parts in combination with two biconcave compression lines in the centre part of the absorbent body deform said body laterally in use, so as to form a central basin-shaped part. There is a serious risk with a napkin of this kind that gaps will be formed between the absorbent body and the wearer""s skin in the region within which liquid is discharged. Such gaps impair the ability of the napkin to carry away liquid quickly from the acquisition surface, which can result in the napkin feeling moist and uncomfortable to the touch. Furthermore, control of discharged liquid is made difficult, because there is a serious risk that instead of being absorbed directly by the absorbent body, liquid will run on the top surface of the napkin in a direction towards the lowest point thereof, this point being dependent on the attitude of the wearer""s body. The risk of the absorbent body pleating and weakening due to deformation resulting from movement of the wearer is relatively significant in the case of such a napkin.
The object of the present invention is to eliminate the aforesaid problems.
This object is achieved in accordance with the invention with an absorbent article in accordance with claim 1.
In a first embodiment, the distance between the edge of those parts of the remainder of the napkin that lie laterally outside the stiffening element and adjacent side-edges of the stiffening element is at least 2 cm at the narrowest section of the stiffening element, and the absorbent body has the same extension as the stiffening element, wherein those parts of the napkin that lie laterally outside respective side-edges of the stiffening element are comprised solely of mutually joined casing sheets. In a first variant, the stiffening element is comprised of absorbent material. In a second variant, the stiffening element is comprised of a non-absorbent material and is placed closest to the outer casing sheet which faces outwards in use, i.e. faces away from the wearer""s body. The stiffening material is preferably comprised of a liquid-impervious material. The edges of those parts of the article that lie laterally outside the stiffening element are preferably straight in the intermediate part of the stiffening element.
In a second embodiment, the absorbent body includes a sheet of highly flexible absorbent material that extends around and beyond the periphery of the stiffening element, and the stiffening element has in its intermediate part and in portions of its rear part longitudinal edges that curve upwards in a direction from the outer casing sheet to the inner casing sheet. The stiffening element also has a thinner section at the transition between the front and the intermediate parts thereof and the absorbent body includes a central upstanding part which extends from the position of the transition between the front and intermediate parts of the stiffening elements somewhat into the rear part of the napkin. The edges of those parts of the napkin that lie laterally outside the stiffening element are preferably curved in the intermediate part of said element, in a direction towards respective side-edges thereof, and the edges of those parts of the napkin that lie laterally outside the stiffening element are located at the furthest distance from respective side-edges of the stiffening element at the narrowest section thereof.